Nigiri (The Best Nigiri Sushi Recipes)

Mix up sushi night and make Nigiri Sushi instead of the usual sushi roll recipes or Tuna Sashimi. Load up on sushi-grade fish, make a batch of sushi rice, pick your sushi sauce recipes and get to eating!

More raw fish and sushi recipes: Spicy Krab Roll, Tuna Roll, Tuna Crudo, Spicy Tuna, Avocado Roll, Hawaiian Poke, Temaki Sushi, and Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl. 

What Is Nigiri

Nigiri is a delicate and simple Japanese dish featuring mounds of sushi rice topped with thinly-sliced fish or similar ingredients. Yes, no rolling required!

Sashimi vs Nigiri

The difference between sashimi and nigiri comes down to the rice! Sashimi is just fresh slices of fish, while nigiri takes it a bit further by serving it atop rice. Both are exceedingly easy to prepare.

Since nigiri include rice, it’s officially considered “sushi”. Read up on the difference between Sushi vs. Sashimi and the different types of sushi.

Tuna Nigiri Recipe

High quality tuna and sushi rice are the only ingredient required to make this tuna recipe. Everything else is optional, depending on your taste preferences. 

Types of Nigiri

Nigiri recipes focus on the flavor and texture of delicate fish so it’s important to go with the highest quality fish you can grab.

Below are the most popular variations- just swap out the thinly sliced tuna and replace with thinly sliced pieces of any of the below:

• salmon nigiri
• unagi nigiri
• maguro nigiri
• ebi nigiri
• hamachi nigiri
• yellowtail nigiri
• tobiko nigiri 
• Kanikama (20+ Imitation Crab Recipes)
• kani nigiri (What is Kani)

Sauces

Soy sauce is the traditional sushi sauce, but we love serving with extra sauces. Here are a few sushi dipping sauces we like to serve:

• Soy Sauce
• Honey Sriracha Sauce
• Eel Sauce
• Sweet Soy Glaze
• Horseradish Sauce 
• Horseradish Aioli
• Boom Boom Sauce
• Ponzu Sauce
• Sriracha Aioli

Garnishes

Go with what you love! Tobiko is our favorite but black sesame seeds, Panko and microgreens are amazing as well.

How to Make Sushi Nigiri

You’re going to love how simple it is to make this recipe. The longest step is making the sushi rice followed by slicing the fish into 1/8″-1/4″ slices. Once the fish is atop the rice, it’s time to grub down.

How to Eat

The most common method includes using chopsticks to place a small dab of wasabi and grated ginger (or pickled ginger) on top before picking it up with chop sticks and dipping it in soy sauce or your preferred dipping sauce.

Serving Ideas

Spicy cucumber salad, pickled cucumbers, daikon radish, Tuna Tartare Recipe or kani salad would pair well with this dish as well as edamame.

Recipe Tips

• Place the fish in the freezer for 10 minutes, before slicing, to make it easier to slice.
• Use a sharp knife when cutting the fish. Wipe and wet it between cuts to keep the fish from sticking to the knife. Here’s the sushi knife we own and adore.
• Serve immediately after plating, for the best freshness, texture and flavor.
• Raw fish is best consumed the same day as purchased. The flavor will become more “fishy” the longer you wait.
• Check out what wine pairs with nigiri by reading our Best Wine With Sushi guide.

Raw Fish Recipes

If you’re new to serving raw fish, check out our FAQ’s on raw fish. Raw fish isn’t recommended for pregnant women, the elderly or immunocompromised individuals. Consult your doctor before ingesting raw fish.

Drink Pairings

Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, Sake, Chablis, or Grüner Veltliner 

Nigiri Sushi